Keeping it Together: Why do rage rooms turn some of us on?

Over the last five years, a growing number of people have turned to rage rooms for unique date nights and bachelorette parties, or used them as safe outlets to release their anger. For some people, however, it's more than that.

Hi, I'm Katie Camero, a health and wellness reporter with Paste BN. This week, I wrote about a rather quirky yet not too surprising trend: Owners and managers of rage rooms across the country say customers are engaging in sexual behaviors in their facilities. While eyebrow-raising, experts say it's not totally surprising, given the physiological link between intense emotions and sexual attraction.

In fact, the connection between aggression and sexual arousal was a hot topic for psychoanalysis founder Sigmund Freud, who believed humans are unconsciously motivated by aggressive, sexual impulses. Today, portrayals of this link can be found in pornography and in BDSM practices that explore themes of power, control and dominance, experts say. 

Corey Holtam, 33, owner of Wreck Room Las Vegas, said he has been working in the rage room industry for so long that “nothing really surprises” him anymore. 

“Every once in a while people do get a little handsy. I’ve had some customers lay down together in a room filled with broken glass, so maybe there’s a danger aspect to it,” Holtam said. “Being in that atmosphere, it’s super weird, so I think people tend to go to a primal place.”

If you take a deeper look into the article, you'll learn what science has to say about why rage rooms turn some of us on, why watching someone in a rage room could also lead to sexual arousal and whether it's healthy to engage in sexual intimacy if it's driven by anger.

And while you're here, check out some of the other articles my team has worked on this week.